Hand I think I played well

[SoBeDude]

I'm looking for opinions on how I played this hand. I think I played it well, but I'm looking for other thoughts.

I'm in the CO with 55. One MP limper to me. I call, button raises. BB calls, MP and I call.

Flop comes: 2 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img] 9 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img] 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/diamond.gif[/img]

Checked to the Button who bets. We all call. I put the button on overcards, probably AK or AQs. I think there is a decent chance I'm ahead here. I think about check-raising the turn if another small non-flush card comes up. But I won't push anyone out that way. so I figure I'll just bet out instead.

Turn: 4 [img]/forums/images/icons/spade.gif[/img]

Ok, checked around to me, I bet. button calls, BB folds, MP calls.

River: 8 [img]/forums/images/icons/club.gif[/img]

Well, no flush, which is good. Anyone holding an eight has me smoked. Anyone holding a 9 might fold, afraid I have an eight.

So I bet. All fold.

I'm trying not to justify my play because I won. So I'm looking for some objective opinions on my play.

Should I have check-raised the flop?

Thanks

-Scott

[Barry]

I like to make plays similar to this on occasion when I have a medium pair and rags flop. The specific approach is somewhat position dependent. I think that you played it OK.

There are some other approachs as well:

1. If you think that the PFR will raise your flop bet even with overcards, betting out the flop and having BB and MP face 2 bets is a good way to keep many overcards from beating you.

2. You could checkraise the flop and plan to lead the turn if the button doesn't 3-bet and no A, K or Q comes.

Of course, bet the river.

[John Biggs]

Hard to believe your post is serious--seems more like a gag.

Let's pretend you *are* serious. In that case I don't like your flop call at all. You don't say what the limit is or what the texture of the game was, but I see weak low-limit players make this sort of speculative play with small pocket pairs all the time and they get punished badly. You got a fortunate result this time, but that is not what should drive your thinking.

There are eight small bets in the pot, so you're not getting the odds to turn a set; someone could easily be slowplaying two pair or a flopped set; there are straight draws and flush draws on the board, and passive players will not bet these but will call with them. Even if you turn a set your five may give someone a straight. If the 5 of diamonds falls someone may make a flush. Basically you have no clean outs, just your small pair which you pray by some miracle holds up. Meanwhile you are hoping the button has overcards only, but he could easily have a pair bigger than yours. How do you figure you have positive expectation here?

By the way your preflop limp was marginal. If everyone after you doesn't limp in, you are not getting the right odds for making your set long-term, and a pair of fives does not do well by itself against more than one opponent. Probably should have folded there, though it's close.

[bernie]

whats with the growing popularity ive seen in some posts about going for a C/R from the CO?

you have 1 player to depend on to bet. that's it, ONE. you better be damn sure he's aggressive enough to bet it. on this board he could easily check it through.

save the c/r for an earlier position with more players behind you.

doubtful youll get a 9 to fold here. top pair isnt going anywhere. you probably have the best hand as everyone missed their overcard/flush/str8 draw.

b

[Clarkmeister]

You played it just fine.

[SoBeDude]

so how was my play ?

I didn't check-raise. I just brought it up for discussion. I dind't like the C/R either.

-Scott

[SoBeDude]

Hi John,

When someone is asking for input on their play, is it really appropriate to be insulting?

I look at your number of posts and can now easily disregard your comments as a rood noob (new term folks?)

Yes, my post is serious, no its not a gag.

And I can't recall the last time I so disagreed so strongly with someone's assessment.

Do me a favor, skip over my posts from now on, ok?

Thanks

-Scott

[Tyler Durden]

I think a better play would be to bet this flop, if you're set on trying to push this guy off his overcards. Checkraising is a bad play, I think, because it just ties the early players into the pot. You want to get it heads up with the raiser.

[RockLobster]

Wow, I don't recall reading any of your posts, but this one makes you sound like a complete jackass. We're here to help each other out, not to ridicule anyone who is bold enough to post questionable hands.

[Homer]

I think you misplayed every street except the river.

Preflop - I would either raise or fold. I don't like the limp because you are going to end up with four-way action. This is a hand that would like heads-up or multiway action. If I didn't think a raise would eliminate the blinds, I would fold.

Flop - 11:1 isn't enough to call here, even with you closing the action, even if one of your 5's is a diamond (you didn't say), and even if catching a 5 could not give someone else a straight (which it can in this case). You seem to think that just because the button might have overcards that you have a good chance of being ahead. What about the other two players? There is a strong possibility that one or both of them has you beat. I realize they could both be on draws, given the texture of the board, but it is likely one of them is ahead of you. If I were going to continue with the hand, I would bet into the preflop raiser and hope that he raised with his overcards to clear the field for me.

Turn - Again, I would check-fold. Why did you bet? Were you hoping that the button would call with his overcards and that the other players would have difficulty overcalling with hands like second pair?

River - I like the bet, but not because someone might fold a 9. No one is going to fold a 9 -- no way, no how. The button almost definitely has overcards. Do you think he will call a bet? If so, then you should certainly bet. Also, if you bet and the button calls, BB will be less likely to overcall with a hand like 77 or A4. Then again, if you check you will probably get a free showdown, which could be good since there's a decent chance that BB has you beat. All-in-all, I like betting better, but not by much.

-- Homer